Miguel Angel Jimenez

With the decline of Severiano Ballesteros during the past five seasons, and the fluctuating form of José María Olazabal, Miguel Angel Jimenez emerged as Spain’s leading player - at least until Sergio García’s arrival on the scene. Jimenez’s early attempts to gain a European Tour card faltered at the Qualifying School hurdle before, in 1988, he finished sixth among the graduates at La Manga to earn his chance. Once on the main Tour he quickly established himself, finishing 85th in his first full season (1989) and winning, with Xonia Wunsch-Ruiz, the Benson & Hedges Mixed Team Trophy held at the Aloha club on the Costa del Sol and comprising teams from the men’s and women’s European Tours. In 1992 he broke through for his first tour title, the Piaget Open in Belgium, and rose to 14th in the final order of merit, and in 1994 he won his second event, the Heineken Dutch Open, climbing to a then career best fifth in the money list and thus earning his first invitations to the three US majors. After another brief hiatus - including missing out on a Ryder Cup place in 1997, though providing invaluable backroom support as Ballesteros’s vice captain - he emerged in 1998 as the elder statesman of the Spanish contingent. Victory in the Turespaña Masters was followed by his most important title, the Trophée Lancôme, and fourth place in the final order of merit. In 1999, he stayed on the same European rung but made significant gains in international status. A successful defence of the Turespaña title, the first victory by a Spaniard in the Volvo Masters and his intrepid performance in the World Golf Championship at Valderrama, losing in a play-off to Tiger Woods (not to mention his important debut contribution to Europe’s ultimately unsuccessful Ryder Cup campaign and to Spain’s historic Dunhill Cup triumph), enabled him to end the season in 21st place in the world rankings.
He was unable to win in 2000, apart from the Dunhill Cup team event with José María Olazabal and Miguel Angel Martín, but quietly climbed to 11th position in Europe (playing a limited schedule) and was the second-highest finisher among non-members on the US Tour, thus securing a full card for 2001.
In 2001, juggling his time between the European and US Tours, Jimenez was unable to win but still achieved the commendable feat of retaining both his cards.

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